INDIA in F1

Tag: Jehan Daruvala

  • Shwartzman finishes 2nd, clinches Championship; Daruvala 5th

    Shwartzman finishes 2nd, clinches Championship; Daruvala 5th

    Robert Shwartman (PREMA Racing), Marcus Armstrong (PREMA), Niko Kari (Trident) on the F3 podium. An F3 image

    Sochi, 28 Sept 2019: Robert Shwartzman clinched the maiden FIA Formula 3 Championship title in one of the most intense races of the season, but it was his teammate Marcus Armstrong who won, as the Russian settled for second, refusing to risk his crown.

    When Marcus Armstrong told reporters that it would be one of the battles of the season, he wasn’t wrong, as three different drivers exchanged P1 in a race-long battle for first, which was only settled on the final lap.
    Niko Kari was deeply immersed into that fight, but would ultimately finish the season as he started it in third place, with his first podium since Round 1 in Barcelona. For all of the plaudits that Shwartzman will deservedly receive in the aftermath, Armstrong sealed his third victory of the campaign and matched the champion’s tally.
    However, Shwartzman has led the title charge for the majority of the year and knew that finishing ahead of rival Jehan Daruvala would be enough, and the Indian slumped to fifth, after a sluggish start. With his PREMA teammate struggling, this left the Russian needing to drive a conservative race, and he done so like a champion, with minimal risk, and maximum gain.
    Dark clouds lingered above the Sochi Autodrom, as rain threatened to spice up a contest that ultimately wouldn’t need it. While Shwartzman got off the line cleanly, Daruvala struggled, slipping as far as sixth by the end of the first turn. This allowed Armstrong a shot at his fellow Ferrari F1 junior and he made light work of the Russian, nipping by after the first corner.
    Having taken the lead, Armstrong was the first to discover drops of rain in the latter parts of the track and warned his PREMA team. Further back, Bent Viscaal spun off at Turn 4, which brought out a virtual safety car. With this, Devlin DeFrancesco and Trident made the risk of switching to the wets, but the rain dried up and they were forced to swiftly revert back.
    Shortly after going green again, Leong Hon Chio spun off track at the same corner and plunged into the barriers, this time bringing out a safety car. When the SC returned, Jüri Vips caught the back of Christian Lundgaard. The Dane was able to recover and continue, but Vips was slapped with a 10 second penalty for causing the collision.
    Armstrong held on to the lead at the restart, but Kari attacked the back of Shwartzman and eventually dived ahead of the Russian. Having passed one PREMA, the Finn knew his Trident had the pace and began to harry Armstrong, which set in motion a lap-long tussle.
    The Trident racer dived down the inside of Armstrong at Turn 2 and took the inside line on the third corner, narrowly edging ahead off the Kiwi at full throttle as the track began to straighten out again. The Kiwi was pushed back and opted to attack the Finn on the next tour of the circuit, at the first corner. Armstrong sent it down the side of Kari, but missed the turn, which allowed Shwartzman and Leonardo Pulcini to take advantage and steal second and third.
    Having dropped to third, Shwartzman was now in contention for the race win once again and forced himself ahead of Kari, lunging past him in a DRS enthused move. With five laps to go, Kari was once again at the mercy of Armstrong, who had already regained third from Pulcini. The Kwi made no mistake with his overtake this time, making it stick on the second turn.
    The two PREMAs headed into the final lap in first and second, on course for their third one-two of the campaign. Shwartzman looked set to cap off an incredible season with a fourth victory, but his teammate had other ideas and showed no mercy.
    With nothing to lose, Armstrong made a daring lunge at Turn 2 and hauled himself back into the race lead, giving Shwartzman no chance of a reply. Both were euphoric when they crossed the line, as Shwartzman hailed his team, thanking them for an incredible, but tough, season.
    Kari completed the podium, with Pulcini and Daruvala completing the top five, ahead of Pedro Piquet, Jake Hughes and Vips. Raoul Hyman secured his first points of the season with ninth place, ahead of Richard Verschoor.
    The champion now leads the Drivers’ Championship with 202 points, ahead of Daruvala on 157 and Armstrong on 144, who cannot be caught. Vips is fourth on 126 and Piquet is fifth on 98 points. In the Teams’ Championship, PREMA Racing are first with 503, Hitech Grand Prix are second with 204 and ART Grand Prix third on 174. Trident are fourth with 128 and HWA RACELAB fifth with 92.
    Vips will start on pole positon in Race 2 tomorrow, which begins at 9.55am (local time).
    2019 FIA Formula 3 Championship Round 8 – Race 1 provisional classification
    DRIVER
    TEAM
    1
    Marcus Armstrong
    PREMA Racing
    2
    Robert Shwartzman
    PREMA Racing
    3
    Niko Kari
    Trident
    4
    Leonardo Pulcini
    Hitech Grand Prix
    5
    Jehan Daruvala
    PREMA Racing
    6
    Pedro Piquet
    Trident
    7
    Jake Hughes
    HWA RACELAB
    8
    Juri Vips
    Hitech Grand Prix
    9
    Raoul Hyman
    Sauber Junior Team by Charouz
    10
    Richard Verschoor
    MP Motorsport
    11
    Max Fewtrell
    ART Grand Prix
    12
    Yuki Tsunoda
    Jenzer Motorsport
    13
    Ye Yifei
    Hitech Grand Prix
    14
    Christian Lundgaard
    ART Grand Prix
    15
    Logan Sargeant
    Carlin Buzz Racing
    16
    Sebastian Fernandez
    Campos Racing
    19
    Keyvan Andres
    HWA RACELAB
    17
    Simo Laaksonen
    MP Motorsport
    18
    Liam Lawson
    MP Motorsport
    20
    Teppei Natori
    Carlin Buzz Racing
    21
    Alessio Deledda
    Campos Racing
    22
    David Schumacher
    Campos Racing
    23
    Devlin DeFrancesco
    Trident
    24
    Andreas Estner
    Jenzer Motorsport
    25
    Felipe Drugovich
    Carlin Buzz Racing
    NOT CLASSIFIED
    Fabio Scherer
    Sauber Junior Team by Charouz
    Leong Hon Chio
    Jenzer Motorsport
    Bent Viscaal
    HWA RACELAB
    Lirim Zendeli
    Sauber Junior Team by Charouz
    OVERALL FASTEST LAP
    Jake Hughes (HWA RACELAB) – 1:55.513 on Lap 10
    FASTEST LAP ELIGIBLE FOR POINTS
    Jake Hughes (HWA RACELAB)
  • Jehan Daruvala heads to final round with outside chance: F3

    Jehan Daruvala heads to final round with outside chance: F3

    File photo of Jehan Daruvala from Prema Racing

    Sochi, 26 Sept 2019: The Formula 3 championship is set to reach its exciting conclusion in the eighth and final round of the 2019 season as the paddock heads east to Sochi.

    Championship leader Robert Shwartzman was the man to catch in Monza’s practice session last time out, as he has been all season long. The Prema man was denied a front row start after qualifying however when Christian Lundgaard put his ART machine on the pole alongside Marcus Armstrong before a number of penalties rewrote the starting grid. The rapid Russian would simply not give up though and took his first race victory since Round 2 after starting 10th. Maximum points in Race 2 would have crowned Shwartzman, but while it was not to be there was still plenty of joy on the podium’s top step. Yuki Tsunoda produced an incredible display to earn both him and Jenzer Motorsport a first win of the season.
    Shwartzman (180 points) leads the Drivers’ Championship by 33 points over teammate Jehan Daruvala (147), the only man that could stop him clinching the championship, but 16 more points in Sochi would give Shwartzman an unassailable lead in the title fight. Hitech Grand Prix’s Jüri Vips (122) is third, with Armstrong (119) three points behind him. There was no sign of Team champions PREMA (446) slowing down, as they further extended their lead over Hitech (188) in second place. ART Grand Prix (174) are third.
    The Sochi Autodrom hosts the final round of the championship. The circuit combines high-speed and low-speed sections and the teams and drivers will need to maximise Pirelli’s soft compound tyres to succeed. The fact that the final round will be the title decider, despite such a remarkable season, is a testament to just how incredible the maiden FIA Formula 3 Championship has been!
    Warm-Up // Robert Shwartzman – PREMA Racing
    “I’ve never raced in Sochi before but it’s my home race so it’s definitely really important to me. I’ve never raced at this level in my home country, so it’s an honour to be there. It is also the final round of the season, which will be interesting. I’m really looking forward to it and I think it is going to be a great weekend.
    “As a driver, I’m not worried about having never driven on a new circuit. It happens a lot. We will do simulator work before the weekend so we can learn more about the track and prepare myself before getting behind the wheel. We will also watch videos of races there from last year, learn some stuff that way, and prepare as best we can.
    “I have already learned the circuit is a ‘mid-to-fast’ track. There are medium-speed corners, more like 90-degree turns, but then it also has quite a long straight so it will be interesting to see what happens when it comes to overtaking. It’s not a bad track at all, a decent race circuit, and it looks nice. I can’t wait to race on it for real.
    “It will be the first time I’ve raced in front of my home crowd in such a way. I raced karts in Russia before but that was some time ago and this is another level. I’m looking forward to seeing the Russian fans and it will be nice to see all the flags and feel the support. There’s understandably a lot of talk about winning the championship on home soil, but as a driver, I will do what I always do. My target is the same as usual – to win every weekend if that’s possible. After that we will see where we end up.”
    Mario Isola, Pirelli Head of F1 and Car Racing
    “Russia started off as a very smooth track when it was first built, but over the years the surface has matured to offer more grip. The surface is still quite smooth, which means that together with the track layout, Sochi is not especially demanding on tyres. As a result in Formula 3 the drivers should be able to push hard as they fight for the title after a thrilling season.”
    Season Stats
    33 The gap between championship leader Robert Shwartzman (180 points) and second-placed Jehan Daruvala (147) at the top of the Drivers’ Championship.
    9 Yuki Tsunoda became the ninth different driver to take taste victory this season after his Race 2 win in Monza.
    20 The combined number of times PREMA Racing’s Shwartzman, Daruvala and Marcus Armstrong have stood on the podium this season.
    3 ART Grand Prix’s Christian Lundgaard has more front row starts than any other driver this season.
    Noteworthy
    Macanese racer Leong “Charles” Hon Chio will drive Jenzer Motorsport’s Car 15 in Russia, replacing Giorgio Carrara. David Schumacher, son of former F1-racer Ralf, joins Campos Racing in place of Alex Peroni who continues to recover from his accident in Monza.
    If the gap between Robert Shwartzman and Jehan Daruvala is at least 18 points after Race 1, Shwartzman will win the Drivers’ Championship.
    Between them, PREMA Racing trio Shwartzman (3), Daruvala (2) and Marcus Armstrong (2) have secured half of all race victories this season (seven wins from a possible 14).
    Armstrong has led more laps (54) than any other driver on the grid this season. Christian Lundgaard is second with 45 laps led.
    After setting the fastest time in qualifying during the last round, Lundgaard became the first driver this season to have more than one pole position to his name.
    Twelve different drivers have stood on the podium this season, including eight different winners.
    If either Teppei Natori, Felipe Drugovich or Logan Sargeant lead a lap for Carlin Buzz Racing this weekend, every team will have led at least one lap this season.
    Hitech Grand Prix’s Leonardo Pulcini has taken points from 10 consecutive races, the longest current streak in the championship.
    Data (IST) all Indian times
    Friday
    Free Practice: 10:50 – 11:35
    Qualifying: 15:30 – 16:00
    Press conference: 16:30
    Saturday
    Race 1: 12:45 (20 laps)
    Press conference: 13:45
    Sunday
    Race 2: 12:25 (20 laps)
  • Terrific Tsunoda soars to first F3 win in Monza: F3

    Terrific Tsunoda soars to first F3 win in Monza: F3

    Jenzer driver tops Race 2 podium ahead of Lawson and Hughes
    From left: 2nd placed Liam, winner Yuki and 3rd-placed Jake. An FIA F3 image

    Monza, 8 Sept 2019: Yuki Tsunoda completed his remarkable upturn of form in Monza, with his, and his team’s first ever win in the FIA Formula 3 Championship. The Jenzer Motorsport driver romped to a third podium in as many races, after a lengthy battle with Jake Hughes, which ended in him finishing ahead of Liam Lawson in second and the HWA RACELAB driver in third.

    The Japanese driver’s victory marked a successful weekend for Honda Dream drivers, matching his F2 counterpart Nobuharu Matsushita, who won in yesterday’s Feature Race. The feat earns him his seventh points’ finish in a row, having scored just two of them in the first seven of the campaign.
    The track was damp from overnight showers and the cars started against a shower of spray, but this didn’t stop Jake Hughes from bolting off the line, as the HWA RACELAB man lunged down the left of polesitter Fabio Scherer and into the lead. Behind him, Tsunoda had started his march from sixth and leapt to third at the first turn.
    The Japenese driver pulled off a similar move for second on the next tour of the track. He had Hughes in his sights, but the duo both went wide at Turn 4 as they battled with the greasy track surface. They then collided at the following corner, as Tsunoda’s front wing scraped the back of Hughes’ rear tyre, but luckily they avoided any damage.
    Former leader Scherer was struggling to keep Lawson at bay behind him, as the Kiwi eyed his second podium of the season. Less than a second separated the Swiss driver in third, with Leonardo Pulcini in sixth. Space opened up down the side of Scherer and the Red Bull F1 junior took a tow and slipstreamed down the right of him.
    Hughes and Tsunoda had begun to pull away from those behind them, collecting a 3s gap, but the battle between the two remained on-going. The Jenzer driver got close enough to gain the advantage of DRS and flashed past the Brit for the lead.
    Hughes fought back and went side-by-side with Tsunoda around the outside of Parabolica, but the Japanese driver out-braked him and retained P1. Their drawn out fight for first handed Lawson a shot at P2 and the MP Motorsport man began to attack the back of Hughes. The duo went side-by-side down the pit straight, and with the aid of DRS, and the inside line, the Kiwi completed the move and made it stick at Turn 1.
    Tsunoda ran home cleanly at the chequered flag and was followed by Lawson and Hughes in the top three, as Richard Verschoor and Pedro Piquet completed the front five. The final points’ positions went to Pulcini, Scherer and Robert Shwartzman.
    The Russian’s P8 finish hands him an extra point in the Championship and marginally stretches his lead to 33 points, ahead of Jehan Daruvala on 147 points. Jüri Vips remains third on 122 and Marcus Armstrong on 119. In the Teams’ standings, Champions PREMA Racing lead with 446, ahead of Hitech Grand Prix on 188, ART Grand Prix on 174, Trident on 105 and HWA RACELAB on 84.
    Shwartzman holds the cards heading into the season finale, at his home race in Sochi, Russia, at the end of September.
    2019 FIA Formula 3 Championship Round 7 – Race 2 provisional classification
    DRIVER
    TEAM
    1
    Yuki Tsunoda
    Jenzer Motorsport
    2
    Liam Lawson
    MP Motorsport
    3
    Jake Hughes
    HWA RACELAB
    4
    Richard Verschoor
    MP Motorsport
    5
    Pedro Piquet
    Trident
    6
    Leonardo Pulcini
    Hitech Grand Prix
    7
    Fabio Scherer
    Sauber Junior Team by Charouz
    8
    Robert Shwartzman
    PREMA Racing
    9
    Christian Lundgaard
    ART Grand Prix
    10
    Logan Sargeant
    Carlin Buzz Racing
    11
    Juri Vips
    Hitech Grand Prix
    12
    Felipe Drugovich
    Carlin Buzz Racing
    13
    Jehan Daruvala
    PREMA Racing
    14
    Marcus Armstrong
    PREMA Racing
    15
    Niko Kari
    Trident
    16
    Devlin Defrancesco
    Trident
    17
    Raoul Hyman
    Sauber Junior Team by Charouz
    18
    Lirim Zendeli
    Sauber Junior Team by Charouz
    19
    Ye Yifei
    Hitech Grand Prix
    20
    Simo Laaksonen
    MP Motorsport
    21
    Max Fewtrell
    ART Grand Prix
    22
    Keyvan Andres
    HWA RACELAB
    23
    Giorgio Carrara
    Jenzer Motorsport
    24
    Andreas Estner
    Jenzer Motorsport
    25
    Alessio Deledda
    Campos Racing
    26
    Sebastian Fernandez
    Campos Racing
    27
    Bent Viscaal
    HWA RACELAB
    28
    David Beckmann
    ART Grand Prix
    29
    Teppei Natori
    Carlin Buzz Racing
    OVERALL FASTEST LAP
    Juri Vips (Hitech Grand Prix) – 1:48.890 on Lap 20
    FASTEST LAP ELIGIBLE FOR POINTS
    Richard Verschoor (MP Motorsport) – 1:49.580 on Lap 22
  • It was very frustrating without DRS, because the car was good: Jehan Daruvala

    It was very frustrating without DRS, because the car was good: Jehan Daruvala

    Thoughts from Shwartzman, Armstrong and Daruvala

    Robert Shwartzman, winner, flanked by Marcus Armstrong,, left and Jehan
    Daruvala 3rd, All three are from PREMA Racing. An F3 image

    FIA Formula 3: Hello and welcome to today’s FIA Formula 3 press conference following the opening race here at Monza. We are joined by the top three finishers from Race 1. Your race winner Robert Shwartzman from PREMA Racing, in second place Marcus Armstrong from PREMA Racing and in third place Jehan Daruvala from PREMA Racing. Robert, you promised some attacking manoeuvres coming up through the field yesterday, you certainly delivered. How was your charge through the field?

    Robert Shwartzman: It’s been really fun. I enjoyed it a lot. All three of us did really nice manoeuvres when overtaking. At the beginning I was behind Marcus, and actually Marcus was getting past the field and I was trying to stay with him and pass who he had passed. There was some nice manoeuvres, some tricky ones, especially at Lesmo 2 when I made the move on Max [Fewtrell]. It was quite tight but everything was fair and nice. Basically then Marcus was leading and I was second. We had good pace so I knew that we could get a gap, and then the safety car came out for the first time. After the restart my target was just not to make any stupid mistakes in Turn 1, just to continue, and Marcus had a good restart and a gap so I didn’t have any chance to attack. I just stayed behind and after two laps, when the DRS was enabled, he let me pass in order to work together to build a bigger gap. I got by and my target was simply not to make any mistakes and continue pushing. For three or four laps I was in front and then the second safety car came out. I heard that the driver was fine, which is obviously really important. It looks really big. The first lap that I passed I didn’t even realise where the car was, it was just debris on the track and nothing else. Only after some time did I realise the car was actually on the fence. I got told it was quite big so I’m happy that the driver is okay.

    FIA Formula 3: A first win for you since Paul Ricard, a big boost for your title hopes going into the final few races of the season. How much of a breakthrough does this feel?

    Robert: It felt like quite a long time, definitely. We were quite close, like P2 or P3, but yeah something was missing but today I felt that the car was really good. We had the pace to win and all three of us were just doing our jobs to get the win. Everything was fair and nice, so that’s the thing. I’m really happy that I won today. It was really tight. I had a lot of pressure from my teammates, it was hard, but today I’m happy that finally I got the win.

    FIA Formula 3: Congratulations. Marcus moving on to you now. Could you talk us through your race and the battle you had with Robert for the lead?

    Marcus Armstrong: It was an exciting race. The first lap I don’t know where I finished, maybe third, so that was pretty exciting and everything sort of went to plan. For whatever reason Christian [Lundgaard] wasn’t leading the race so that was a bit of a surprise because he was very quick yesterday. I don’t actually remember how I overtook them, there was so much action in that race I can’t quite remember it. The pace was pretty good because we got to the lead and pulled out quite a reasonable gap over [Richard] Verschoor. Then there was the safety car and Robert was behind me. It wasn’t easy because I obviously know that Robert is switched on and I had to surprise him a little bit, which I think I did. I managed to lead again for the first two laps after that before the DRS was activated. I felt as though I was destroying my tyres out in front, having to push so hard to break Robert, so I decided to let him go and just follow in his slipstream, use DRS and try and attack in the last few laps. People didn’t get to see what should have been a good last lap battle, but obviously we’re thankful that [Alex] Peroni is okay.

    FIA Formula 3: It was a very significant result for PREMA as well, to get a one, two, three finish at a home race. Does this result just prove how good this team has been this season?

    Marcus: Absolutely, especially here at Monza in front of all the team. A lot of people have come over from Grisignano to watch the race this morning. It was cool to see everyone under the podium, and also to have Guillaume [Capietto] on the podium with us was special. As I said on the radio, I’m very grateful to be a part of such a fantastic, well-organised team, and I think us finishing in the top three is almost our way of giving back [laughs].

    FIA Formula 3: Well done today. Jehan moving on to you now. P3, but obviously the safety car at the end did end any hopes of a tight scrap between the three of you. How did you approach your race and how did you feel it went?

    Jehan Daruvala: I think it was similar to the other guys. My start was really good and I got into a decent position behind Rob. My main problem in the race was that I didn’t have DRS the whole time, so it was very frustrating for me because the car was good and I felt I had the pace to also fight with the guys for the win. It was frustrating. I was fighting cars with DRS around me and I didn’t have it. I was using a lot of my tyres in the middle sector to try and break the DRS of the cars behind. At the end, when they were fighting, I got really close but on the straights I just couldn’t keep up. That was a bit disappointing for me, but again, to come third at Monza with no DRS is a really good result.

    FIA Formula 3: Slipstream here is so important, and the DRS is so powerful, does it feel like damage limitation, in a way, to still get a podium finish?

    Jehan: Like I said, I’m not really concerned with the result, I’m just upset that I didn’t have the chance to fight with the guys for the lead. I was just sat there hoping for something to happen, but I’d rather have been in the scrap for the lead.

    FIA Formula 3: Well done today. Robert, moving back to you now. You started P8 today and fought through for the victory, I imagine you’ll want to repeat that tomorrow?

    Robert: Sure. Tomorrow is also going to be an interesting race. I’m not sure about the weather because before it was said that there may be rain, but from the free practice I’m quite confident with the car we have and how everything is going, even in the rain. Whatever happens we’re going to fight, as today, and surely try just to collect some more points for the weekend.

  • Monza podium for Jehan: F3

    Monza podium for Jehan: F3

    Jehan Daruvala with the trophy for third place in Race 1 on Saturday. Photo by James Gasperotti

    Monza, Italy: Jehan Daruvala was left frustrated inspite of a podium in race 1 of the seventh round of the FIA F3 Championship, but at the same time won the hearts of thousands around the circuit and around the world. Racing at the 5.793km, historic high speed circuit of Monza, also known as the ‘Temple of Speed’, the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix support event, saw Jehan climb from tenth to second, only to suffer issues denying the Indian a potential race win. Electronics issues disabled Jehan’s DRS, in turn preventing him from gaining top speed on the two vital long straights.

    A bizarre qualifying session saw 17 racers, including all three racers in Jehan’s Prema Racing Team, receiving penalties. With only 5 minutes for the session to end and Jehan had set his fastest laptime in Sector 1 and the quickest sector 2 of any racer on the grid. It looked certain that Jehan would have claimed provisional pole, but over ten cars had slowed down in the last sector. Jehan had to abort his lap for the second time, due to numerous cars moving slowly on the racing line. Race control found the situation too dangerous and stopped the session prematurely.

    Jehan Daruvala in action during Race 1 at Monza. Photo by James Gasperotti

    Christian Lundgaard topped the session, while Jehan was in fourth. Officials reviewed the session till late into the night and handed a 10-place penalty to all three racers in Jehan’s team, for being too slow on their out lap. It was unfortunate for them, because they did not impede other racers but infact had suffered themselves. However, with a total 17 racers receiving penalties, Jehan would start the race from tenth.

    As the lights went out, Jehan made a good start and overtook Brazilian racer, Piquet. Two cars tangled in front and Jehan moved upto seventh. He soon overtook British Racer Max Fewtrell to climb to sixth. Up ahead the leaders tangled and German racer Zandeli fell down the order. Jehan quickly went passed Lundgaard into fourth and then, the safety car was deployed. It was during the safety car period that Jehan’s radio messages were broadcast, about Jehan being furious that his DRS (Drag Reduction System) was not working. The DRS is crucial in Monza due to the long straights and the inability to use DRS is a severe handicap while fighting a bunch of cars. The failure was not linked to the team in any way and Jehan would just have to work with the disadvantage.

    Jehan drove brilliantly once the safety car pulled into the pits. Third place Richard Verschoor was also driving well, but the Indian pulled off a phenomenal move around the outside of the Dutchman, going around the first corner. Jehan managed to make the move stick and then began to pull away, in third.

    Jehan had excellent pace, but unfortunately without DRS, he was clearly disadvantaged and unable to challenge the leaders for the race win. He tried to close in as much as possible, but the safety car was deployed a second time due to another crash. The race ended behind the safety car but Marcus Armstrong in second received a penalty, promoting Jehan to second while Russian, Robert Shwartzman won the race.

    “The race was a lot of fun, starting P10 and finishing P2 with such a good result for the team. It was very frustrating for me, not having DRS so I couldn’t really battle for the lead, and I really wanted to, I know we had the pace. Second is good but I’m a little upset for not having the opportunity to fight for the win.”

    Shwartzman’s victory and Jehan’s second place inpsite of his issues, mean the Russian was able to pull further away from Jehan in the Championship. Jehan remains in second after earning his seventh podium of the season. Jehan will start seventh for Race 2 tomorrow, due to the reverse grid regulations.

  • Shwartzman back to his scintillating best in Monza Race 1; Jehan Daruvala finishes 3rd

    Shwartzman back to his scintillating best in Monza Race 1; Jehan Daruvala finishes 3rd

    Russian wins for the first time since Round 2, ahead of teammates Armstrong and Daruvala

    Robert Shwartzman, winner, flanked by Marcus Armstrong,, left and Jehan
    Daruvala 3rd, All three are from PREMA Racing. An F3 image

    Monza, 7 Sept 2019: Championship leader Robert Shwartzman won for the first time since Le Castellet to edge closer to the FIA Formula 3 Drivers’ title. The Russian racer had to battle off his teammates for the victory, finishing at the peak of a PREMA 1-2-3, with Marcus Armstrong in Second and Jehan Daruvala third. The race finished under safety car as Alex Peroni of Campos Racing survived a huge crash and walked out safely before being taken for regular medical checks.

    The race started in contrasting settings to yesterday’s wet Qualifying session, with bright conditions overlooking a warm 19-degree Italian heat. Following a spat of post Qualifying penalties, it was Lirim Zendeli who backed up Christian Lundgaard on the front row, followed by Richard Verschoor.

    The polesitter was in the middle of a three-man brawl for first off the line, having seen the duo behind him make thundering starts. The Dane managed to eventually fend off Verschoor, but Zendeli flew past him coming out of the first turn.
    Armstrong had bolted off the line himself, rising from seventh to fourth, ahead of Max Fewtrell, and he was soon honing in on Verschoor, who he swiftly swapped positions with, while setting the fastest lap.
    Delight turned to despair for Zendeli – who had taken the lead following arguably the race start of his career to date. Zendeli and Lundgaard came together and the German skidded off track – he was left with a puncture, which ended his race. Meanwhile, the Danish driver suffered front wing damage, which forced him into the pits and left him at the back of the field.
    This handed Armstrong the race lead and a chance to make it three wins from four, which would thrust him into second in the Championship. With Verschoor desperately clinging onto second, ahead of fellow PREMA duo Shwartzman and Daruvala, the Kiwi was able to build up a steady lead at the front.
    The Indian lost significant ground in his tussle with Shwartzman and Verschoor, when he was forced wide in his attempts to wrestle third from his Russian teammate. This allowed the Championship leader an opportunity to pounce on P2 and he powerfully sent it down the side of the Dutchman.
    Having come within 12 points of Shwartzman in Round 5, Jüri Vips struggled in Spa last time out and wasn’t faring much better in Monza. The Estonian clumped the back of Keyvan Andres and was flung off track and into the wall. He attempted to get going again, but the damage to his front right tyre was too great and he was forced to retire, which brought out a safety car.
    Verschoor lost two places upon the restart, with Daruvala and Yuki Tsunoda both lunging ahead down the pit straight. Meanwhile, Armstrong’s lead at the front had been sliced to just 0.5s.
    The sight of Shwartzman arrowing in on his teammate for P1 brought back memories of Spielberg, when the duo collided in the same scenario. There would be no repeat this time around and Shwartzman cleanly dispatched off the Kiwi to take the race lead, displaying the maturity he has gained from that episode in Round 3.
    The race would finish under the safety car, when Alex Peroni took flight on the sausage curb. The Campos driver was able to leave his car safely, before being taken by the medical car for the usual checks.
    This allowed Shwartzman to run home unopposed in first, ahead of Armstrong and Daruvala. Tsunoda and Verschoor completed the top five, ahead of Pedro Piquet, Jake Hughes, Liam Lawson, Fabio Scherer and Logan Sargeant.
    Having also claimed the fastest lap, the Russian’s win hands him a 35 point lead in the Drivers’ Championship, with three races remaining. Daruvala remains second with 144 and Armstrong is third with 137. Vips, on 122, and Lundgaard, on 97, complete the top five. Teams’ Champions PREMA Racing are first on 460 points, ahead of Hitech Grand Prix on 183 and ART Grand Prix on 174. Trident, 97, and HWA RACELAB, 72, complete the top five.
    Lawson will start on reverse pole in Race 2 tomorrow at 9.30am local time.
    FIA Formula 3 Championship Round 7 – Race 1 provisional classification
    DRIVER
    TEAM
    1
    Robert Shwartzman
    PREMA Racing
    2
    Marcus Armstrong
    PREMA Racing
    3
    Jehan Daruvala
    PREMA Racing
    4
    Yuki Tsunoda
    Jenzer Motorsport
    5
    Richard Verschoor
    MP Motorsport
    6
    Pedro Piquet
    Trident
    7
    Jake Hughes
    HWA RACELAB
    8
    Liam Lawson
    MP Motorsport
    9
    Fabio Scherer
    Sauber Junior Team by Charouz
    10
    Logan Sargeant
    Carlin Buzz Racing
    11
    Felipe Drugovich
    Carlin Buzz Racing
    12
    Leonardo Pulcini
    Hitech Grand Prix
    13
    Teppei Natori
    Carlin Buzz Racing
    14
    Devlin DeFrancesco
    Trident
    15
    Christian Lundgaard
    ART Grand Prix
    16
    Max Fewtrell
    ART Grand Prix
    17
    Raoul Hyman
    Sauber Junior Team by Charouz
    18
    Bent Viscaal
    HWA RACELAB
    19
    Sebastian Fernandez
    Campos Racing
    20
    Keyvan Andres
    HWA RACELAB
    21
    Simo Laaksonen
    MP Motorsport
    22
    Andreas Estner
    Jenzer Motorsport
    23
    Alessio Deledda
    Campos Racing
    NOT CLASSIFIED
    Alex Peroni
    Campos Racing
    David Beckmann
    ART Grand Prix
    Juri Vips
    Hitech Grand Prix
    Lirim Zendeli
    Sauber Junior Team by Charouz
    Niko Kari
    Trident
    Giorgio Carrara
    Jenzer Motorsport
    Ye Yifei
    Hitech Grand Prix
    OVERALL FASTEST LAP
    Robert Shwartzman (PREMA Racing) – 1:40.020 on Lap 17
    FASTEST LAP ELIGIBLE FOR POINTS
    Robert Shwartzman (PREMA Racing)
  • Lundgaard seals second F3 pole in Monza; Jehan Daruvala starts on P4

    Lundgaard seals second F3 pole in Monza; Jehan Daruvala starts on P4

    ART Grand Prix ace qualifies ahead of Armstrong and Shwartzman
    Christian Lundgaard, ART Grand Prix, take pole. An F3 image

    Monza, 6 Sept 2019: Christian Lundgaard became the first driver this season to seal a second pole position in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, controlling an extremely competitive Qualifying session that had more than 10 different leaders. The Danish driver set his time late on as the circuit began to dry in Monza, and finished ahead of PREMA duo Marcus Armstrong and Robert Shwartzman.

    With the track still damp, following rain in the Formula 2 Qualifying session, the cars headed out with caution onto the track and Niko Kari set the first time at 1:53.444. Devlin DeFrancesco dipped under 1m 49s as they began to get a feel for the circuit. Fabio Scherer then took further chunks out of the best time.
    Leonardo Pulcini, Felipe Drugovich, Liam Lawson and Jehan Daruvala all took turns in first, in quick succession, before the in-form Armstrong grabbed the session by the scruff of the neck to break the 1m 40s barrier.
    Jake Hughes stole provisional pole as the track grew drier and the drivers were told over team radio that no further rain was expected. With just over 10 minutes to go, Lundgaard grabbed provisional pole and made the most of the improved grip on track.
    The traffic intensified as all the cars fed onto the track for their second stint, and it remained heavy for a couple of laps with less than 4 minutes left on the clock. Due to safety reasons the race director decided to red flag the session which was then not resumed. This allowed Lundgaard to claim his second pole since Budapest. Armstrong and Shwartzman took 2nd and 3rd respectively, ahead of their teammate, Daruvala.
    Lirim Zendeli snuck in a late fast lap to take fifth – his best Qualifying of the season. Teppei Natori also sealed his best of the season in sixth, ahead of Max Fewtrell, Richard Verschoor, Kari and Giorgio Carrara.
    Race 2 will get underway tomorrow at 10.30am local time, when Lundgaard will aim for his second win of 2019.
    FIA Formula 3 Round 7 – Qualifying provisional classification
    DRIVER
    TEAM
    LAPTIME
    LAPS
    1
    Christian Lundgaard
    ART Grand Prix
    1:38.834
    12
    2
    Marcus Armstrong
    PREMA Racing
    1:38.969
    11
    3
    Robert Shwartzman
    PREMA Racing
    1:39.037
    11
    4
    Jehan Daruvala
    PREMA Racing
    1:39.055
    11
    5
    Lirim Zendeli
    Sauber Junior Team by Charouz
    1:39.177
    11
    6
    Teppei Natori
    Carlin Buzz Racing
    1:39.303
    12
    7
    Max Fewtrell
    ART Grand Prix
    1:39.307
    12
    8
    Richard Verschoor
    MP Motorsport
    1:39.312
    11
    9
    Niko Kari
    Trident
    1:39.343
    11
    10
    Giorgio Carrara
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:39.344
    11
    11
    Yuki Tsunoda
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:39.437
    11
    12
    Jake Hughes
    HWA RACELAB
    1:39.444
    10
    13
    Liam Lawson
    MP Motorsport
    1:39.505
    12
    14
    Pedro Piquet
    Trident
    1:39.511
    9
    15
    Jüri Vips
    Hitech Grand Prix
    1:39.645
    11
    16
    Logan Sargeant
    Carlin Buzz Racing
    1:39.717
    11
    17
    David Beckmann
    ART Grand Prix
    1:39.788
    12
    18
    Alex Peroni
    Campos Racing
    1:39.830
    11
    19
    Simo Laaksonen
    MP Motorsport
    1:40.068
    11
    20
    Keyvan Andres
    HWA RACELAB
    1:40.084
    9
    21
    Bent Viscaal
    HWA RACELAB
    1:40.097
    10
    22
    Leonardo Pulcini
    Hitech Grand Prix
    1:40.108
    11
    23
    Devlin DeFrancesco
    Trident
    1:40.114
    10
    24
    Sebastian Fernandez
    Campos Racing
    1:40.190
    11
    25
    Fabio Scherer
    Sauber Junior Team by Charouz
    1:40.258
    11
    26
    Felipe Drugovich
    Carlin Buzz Racing
    1:40.370
    9
    27
    Ye Yifei
    Hitech Grand Prix
    1:40.639
    10
    28
    Raoul Hyman
    Sauber Junior Team by Charouz
    1:41.052
    10
    29
    Alessio Deledda
    Campos Racing
    1:41.161
    11
    30
    Andreas Estner
    Jenzer Motorsport
    1:42.031
    11

  • Shwartzman quickest in wet Free Practice; Jehan Daruvala 4th fastest: F3

    Russian finishes ahead of Round 6 winners Armstrong and Piquet
    Monza, 6 Sept 2019: Robert Shwartzman topped a rain-hampered session in Monza, leading Free Practice for the first time in 2019. The PREMA racer set the quickest time early on – before the field all switched to wets – and finished ahead of in-form duo Marcus Armstrong, of PREMA Racing, and Pedro Piquet, of Trident.

    The session begun under light rain down the pit straight as teams initially set out on slick tyres. Spa-Francorchamps Race 2 winner Armstrong was first to notch a quick time, dipping under 1m 45s, followed by teammate Shwartzman.

    On his second full lap of the course, Armstrong knocked two seconds off his time, but his Russian teammate was able to shave a further two tenths to take P1 as rain began to fall harder. Jüri Vips spun off track but was able to get going again, and teams began to feed back into the pits for wet tyres.

    Estner remained out and a wobble ended with the side of his Jenzer machine stuck in the wall. The German climbed out of his car unscathed, but his team now face a race against time to get his car ready for Qualifying later today.

    Fabio Scherer was the first to get back out onto the Autodromo Nazionale Monza circuit and test the new tyres. The rest of the field returned shortly after and focus was centred on getting to grips with the wets.

    This saw the order remained unchanged, before the session ended under a yellow flag. Giorgio Carrara sailed off track and was beached on the sausage curb. This left Shwartzman and Armstrong to run home first and second, with Piquet in third. Jehan Daruvala and Teppei Natori completed the top five, with Niko Kari, Alex Peroni, Richard Verschoor, Felipe Drugovich and Liam Lawson all in the top 10.

    Action will intensify this afternoon as Shwartzman aims to carry across his positive early form and become the first driver to earn a second pole position of the season, when qualifying begins at 5.50pm local time.

  • Jehan Daruvala raring to go: F3 at Monza

    Monza 5 Sept 2019: The Formula 3 paddock reunites this week at Monza in Italy for the seventh round of the season. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the F2 community, the teams and the drivers will race for Anthoine Hubert to honour the talented young Frenchman whom we all miss dearly.
    PREMA Racing will welcome the opportunity to celebrate a well-earned Teams’ Championship title on home soil in Monza after another mammoth points haul at Spa-Francorchamps. Jake Hughes of HWA RACELAB had set the pace in practice, but Jehan Daruvala bagged his first pole position of the season in the afternoon’s qualifying session. The Indian was forced to settle for third however, behind PREMA teammate Robert Shwartzman and Trident’s Pedro Piquet who took his maiden F3 victory in Race 1. PREMA’s Marcus Armstrong led from lights to flag on a sombre Sunday for the New Zealander’s second victory in as many rounds.
    With the Teams’ title wrapped up, Shwartzman (152 points) leads the Drivers’ Championship, with Daruvala (129) 23 points behind in second place. Hitech Grand Prix’s Jüri Vips (122) is third, preventing a PREMA 1 2 3, with Armstrong (119) 3 points behind him. PREMA (400) are deserved victors of the Teams’ Championship, 217 points ahead of Hitech (183). ART Grand Prix (170) are third.
    Monza hosts Round 7 of the championship, a historically fast circuit with long straights and some of the most famous corners in motorsport in front of traditionally passionate Italian support. The teams and drivers will need to manage their Pirelli soft compound tyres carefully amid the low downforce turns, hard braking, and rapid acceleration. 30 cars fighting wheel-to-wheel in the braking zones should provide quite the show!
    Warm-Up // Pedro Piquet – Trident
    “Monza is one of the classic tracks on the calendar, with the fastest average and top speeds. It’s very difficult and in terms of racing; it’s one of the best circuits because the low downforce set-up also means you don’t get as much dirty air and you can battle on the long straights. Because we run a low downforce set-up you can slide a lot or lock the tyres under braking in high-speed corners, so you need to be really good in managing that.
    “There could be lots of battles in the braking zones. There will be a lot of cars side-by-side into the corners because the advantage you have on the car in front is not that big. One of the things I like is that the DRS is not quite as effective. You really need to work hard for the overtake. When you open the DRS you obviously gain on the car in front but it’s not a lot. I’m really excited for it and I hope we can have a good weekend.
    “Because the circuit has a lot of straights, people may think it’s easier on the tyres but it’s not really. You’re sliding a lot and, with the low downforce on the car, if you start to slide then the tyres are done, so you need to take care of them.
    “We always push for a competitive weekend. You have two races and you have to perform well in both. If you have the pace and you start well, fight for Race 1, if not try to get into a decent position so you can fight for Race 2. You need to be there, in the top 6, which helps a lot in the weekend, so that’s the aim.”
    Mario Isola, Pirelli Head of F1 and Car Racing
    “After an extremely difficult weekend in Spa, following the tragic passing of Anthoine Hubert, we move on to Monza. Our home circuit is also known as the ‘Temple of Speed’, which accurately describes the track characteristics. Finding the right compromise with grip despite the low downforce levels is always a challenge, as well as managing the compounds against the considerable stresses that are imposed on them by this historic circuit. Another difficulty will be balancing the set-up of the car in different weather conditions, as at this time of year both hot and cool temperatures are possible, which clearly affects how the front and rear work together.”
    Season Stats
    1 PREMA Racing are champions! The Italian outfit clinched the FIA Formula 3 championship after Race 2 at Spa-Francorchamps.
    400 PREMA have 400 points, 217 more than second-placed Hitech Grand Prix with only 206 points available.
    23 The gap between championship leader Robert Shwartzman and second-placed Jehan Daruvala at the top of the Drivers’ Championship.
    8 Trident’s Pedro Piquet was the eighth different driver to have stood on the top step of the podium this season.
    Noteworthy
    Christian Lundgaard has led more laps (44) than any other driver on the grid this season. Marcus Armstrong is second with 43 laps led.
    Between their three drivers, Teams’ Championship winners PREMA Racing have taken 3 pole positions, 6 wins, 18 podiums, 5 front-row starts, 5 fastest laps, and have led for 109 laps from a possible 250.
    All six rounds so far have seen saw a different driver qualify for pole position; Robert Shwartzman in Barcelona, Jake Hughes in Le Castellet, Armstrong in Spielberg, Jüri Vips in Silverstone, Lundgaard in Budapest and Jehan Daruvala in Spa.
    Despite sitting fourth in the championship behind Shwartzman and Daruvala, Armstrong has as many wins, as many pole positions as his teammates, and he has set more fastest laps, taken more bonus points and has lead more laps then them.
    PREMA Racing’s points haul from Belgium last time out (74) was their highest since Round 2 (82).
    Trident’s Devlin Defrancesco and Carlin Buzz Racing’s Logan Sargeant will both serve five-place grid penalties in Monza after both drivers were involved in separate collisions in Belgium.
    Round 7 of the championship is the first time we will see Pirelli’s soft compound tyre since Round 3 in Spielberg.
    Local times: (GMT+2)
    Friday
    Free Practice: 09.35 – 10.20
    Qualifying: 17.50 – 18.20
    Saturday
    Race 1: 10.30 (22 laps)
    Press conference: 11.30
    Sunday
    Race 2: 09.30 (22 laps)
  • Armstrong wins Race 2, dedicates to Hubert; Jehan Daruvala 5th

    Armstrong wins Race 2, dedicates to Hubert; Jehan Daruvala 5th

    Kiwi driver dedicates victory to late Anthoine Hubert
    Marcus Armstrong dedicates the victory to Anthoine Hubert. An F3 image

    Spa Fracor champs, 1 Sept 2019: Marcus Armstrong won a tribute led FIA Formula 3 Race 2, at Spa-Francorchamps. The PREMA Racing driver emotionally dedicated the win to the late Anthoine Hubert, following the tragic events in yesterday’s Formula 2 race. Armstrong led from lights-to-flag to finish ahead of Jenzer Motorsport’s Yuki Tsunoda, who scored his highest ever finish in the Championship. Robert Shwartzman came home third, after a late overtake on ART Grand Prix’s Christian Lundgaard.

    The action started following a minute of silence in remembrance of Hubert, with teams, drivers, staff and officials from across Formula 1, Formula 2, and Formula 3 all coming together on the grid ahead of the start.
    Reverse grid polesitter Armstrong got away cleanly off the line and retained his place ahead of Leonardo Pulcini. However, the Hitech Grand Prix racer was forced wide at the first turn and Tsunoda was able to pounce and leap ahead of him for P2. The Italian dropped down to 7th, with Lundgaard, Shwartzman and Jehan Daruvala all benefitting.
    Liam Lawson spun off track in the early exchanges, but was able to recover and get back underway, albeit from the back of the grid. Niko Kari wasn’t so lucky and was forced into retirement after going off track.
    Armstrong still held the lead over Tsunoda and set the fastest lap in his attempts to put air between them. Jüri Vips had lost places in the opening two laps, dropping from 4th down to 10th, before managing to squeeze back ahead of David Beckmann for 9th.
    Simo Laaksonen plunged into the barriers after spinning off track, which brought out a safety car. The MP Motorsport man’s car was removed from the barriers and he was taken to the medical centre for the usual checks.
    When the Safety Car returned to the pits, Armstrong held his position ahead of Tsunoda and Lundgaard, who remained 2nd and 3rd. The back of Jake Hughes’ HWA RACELAB was then nicked by Devlin DeFrancesco, and the pair briefly skidded off the circuit. They were initially able to return to the track, before being forced to retire from the pits.
    Armstrong was able to build a 2.5s gap between himself and Tsunoda, with Lundgaard harrying the back of his Jenzer machine. The Renault F1 junior was also under attack, with Shwartzman just 0.7s behind and Daruvala 0.5s.
    Max Fewtrell was the morning’s next retirement, being forced out of his car following a puncture at the end of the Kemmel straight. Meanwhile, Lirim Zendeli and Raoul Hyman collided when attempting to avoid Logan Sargeant, who had locked up around the corner. Zendeli was able to finish the race, but Hyman was forced to retire.
    Armstrong held a comfortable lead going into the final lap, as did Tsunoda, who had built up a gap of over 1s. Lundgaard was attempting to hold off Shwartzman, but eventually succumbed to the PREMA man, who sent it down the side of him, in the final sector.
    Armstrong crossed the line in 1st, ahead of Tsunoda and Shwartzman. Lundgaard was 4th and Daruvala 5th.  Piquet, Pulcini, Teppei Natori, Felipe Drugovich and Ye Yifei completed the top ten.
    Robert Shwartzman stretches his lead in the Drivers’ Championship to 152, ahead of teammate Jehan Daruvala on 129 and Vips on 122. Armstrong is 4th on 119 and Lundgaard 5th with 93. In the Teams’ Championship, PREMA Racing are still 1st, with 400 points, ahead of Hitech Grand Prix on 183 and ART Grand Prix on 170. Trident are 4th with 89 and HWA RACELAB on 66.
    The Championship will resume next weekend in Monza, when Shwartzman and PREMA will hope to further cement their impressive title charge.
    FIA Formula 3 Round 6 – Race 2 provisional classification
    DRIVER
    TEAM
    1
    Marcus Armstrong
    PREMA Racing
    2
    Yuki Tsunoda
    Jenzer Motorsport
    3
    Robert Shwartzman
    PREMA Racing
    4
    Christian Lundgaard
    ART Grand Prix
    5
    Jehan Daruvala
    PREMA Racing
    6
    Pedro Piquet
    Trident
    7
    Leonardo Pulcini
    Hitech Grand Prix
    8
    Teppei Natori
    Carlin Buzz Racing
    9
    Felipe Drugovich
    Carlin Buzz Racing
    10
    Felipe Drugovich
    Hitech Grand Prix
    11
    Richard Verschoor
    MP Motorsport
    12
    David Beckmann
    ART Grand Prix
    13
    Sebastian Fernandez
    Campos Racing
    14
    Bent Viscaal
    HWA RACELAB
    15
    Alex Peroni
    Campos Racing
    16
    Keyvan Andres
    HWA RACELAB
    17
    Andreas Estner
    Jenzer Motorsport
    18
    Fabio Scherer
    Sauber Junior Team by Charouz
    19
    Liam Lawson
    MP Motorsport
    20
    Alessio Deledda
    Campos Racing
    21
    Juri Vips
    Hitech Grand Prix
    22
    Lirim Zendeli
    Sauber Junior Team by Charouz
    NOT CLASSIFIED
    Logan Sargeant
    Carlin Buzz Racing
    Raoul Hyman
    Sauber Junior Team by Charouz
    Max Fewtrell
    ART Grand Prix
    Jake Hughes
    HWA RACELAB
    Devlin DeFrancesco
    Trident
    Simo Laaksonen
    MP Motorsport
    Niko Kari
    Trident
    Giorgio Carrara
    Jenzer Motorsport
    OVERALL FASTEST LAP
    Marcus Armstrong (PREMA Racing) – 2:08.535 on Lap 2
    FASTEST LAP ELIGIBLE FOR POINTS
    Marcus Armstrong (PREMA Racing) – 2:08.535 on Lap 2